Boss on Lambert reunion and Wolves test
Jürgen Klopp is looking forward to meeting up with Paul Lambert tomorrow - but the Liverpool manager is determined to send his old acquaintance home from Anfield defeated.
Lambert brings his Wolverhampton Wanderers side to Merseyside for an FA Cup fourth-round match on Saturday afternoon, with the Scot and Klopp having struck up a friendship due to their ties with Borussia Dortmund.
Klopp, of course, is afforded legendary status at Dortmund thanks to his successful seven-year stint in charge of the club, while Lambert is similarly revered at Signal Iduna Park after playing his part in the club’s 1997 Champions League triumph.
The pair also completed a coaching course together in Germany, with their shared history meaning the Reds’ manager will afford his Wolves counterpart a warm reception tomorrow.
However, Klopp is hoping Lambert returns to the Midlands ‘empty-handed’ as Liverpool seek to reach round five of the competition.
“Character? I don’t think we met often enough that I can say a lot about his character and I should not, but as I know him he’s a very, very nice man and absolutely a Dortmund legend - he won the Champions League with Dortmund,” Klopp replied, when asked about Lambert this afternoon.
“He was always welcome at Dortmund, he watched training when he had no job, watching a little bit, we spoke a little bit.
“It’s too long ago, but I’m pretty sure we made a licence together in Germany. So we know each other well - I always followed when he was at Aston Villa and now, I didn’t see too much of Wolverhampton until now [when I] saw the last three games, but before I didn’t see too much.
“He’s a very nice guy and I’m really happy that we can meet together tomorrow, but even when he’s very nice I would like to send him home with empty hands!”
Wolves sit 18th in the Championship, but have already defeated Premier League opposition in this season’s FA Cup, with Lambert’s team winning 2-0 at Stoke City in the third round.
Klopp expects the Molineux outfit to provide tough opposition tomorrow, but feels having home advantage represents a boost for Liverpool.
“If you want, the last two games were a very good test for this because Wolves are a pretty direct team. Long-ball play, that makes sense, target players up front and then counter-pressing,” he said.
“It’s not only about what Wolves are doing, our style of play forces the other team in a deep position. It will be again, working a lot, work to do for us, not a lot of spaces, but we are used to it and we already did it really well.
“But it should be clear, we play at Anfield - I don’t hope that we will be dominant, I think that we will be dominant and then we have to find the spaces between their players.”
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